Pledged
by morethanamuse
Summary: While working a fairly routine case, Castle and Beckett discover just how well they work together, and everything changes... forever.
1. Until Tomorrow

Disclaimers and etc. I don't own 'Castle' but I wish I owned Beckett... ;) and etc... all that jazz. Also, not to reveal myself as a newbie, but well, I'm a newbie. My first fic... I hope there will be many chapters... but please review so I know how I am doing!

Thanks, and enjoy! :)

* * *

Detective Kate Beckett shot an icy stare at the murder board leering at her from across the room. She rearraged herself slightly, leaning more heavily on the desk that she had propped herself up against. Sighing, she let her breath send her hair twirling away from her face. She knew that there was nothing more that she could uncover this evening. She had no leads in the case that was before her, glinting in shiny black and red words from the board. Her victim, a female college student from a local university, had been found early this morning by some hikers at Forest Park, in Queens. Her name was Anya MacManus, a Freshman pledge to the Omega Pi Delta Sorority. The recruits were sent out on a hazing mission during their plege period last night, and everyone returned, except Anya. She had been through a dozen of the sorority's sisters, grilling them about the hazing practices, but realizing that they were not at liberty to discuss ritual, let alone hazing, which is strictly forbidden, and with no probable cause, she could not force any of them to divulge any of what was going on that night. There was one thing they all agreed on, though: no one was to be hurt, and no one saw Anya after she received her instructions. Beckett believed the first part. She knew that these so called 'scavenger hunts' were meant to weed out the weak, not cause anyone physical harm, let alone have a pledge end up dead. Other than the bruising on Anya's throat, there was no evidence. Literally. Forensics hadn't even picked up a hair or anything with recognizable DNA. The only glimmer of hope that was being processed was a thread from a white cotton t-shirt, and seeing how common those were, it wasn't much of a help. Even though it was still being tested, it would lead her no where. She was sure of it. Picking up the Expo marker and sliding it onto the aluminum tray, she gave the board one last glance and turned away. She was done. It was late, and although she was used to remaining at the precinct long after the rest of her team had retired for the evening, tonight was different. There was a certain loneliness that was flicking at her nerves, which, she thought, half-smiling to herself and biting her lip for a fraction of a second, made sense. Giving a fleeting glance to the chair next to her desk, she shook her head to clear the thoughts that unconsciously had settled in her brain, and began the ritual of packing up for the night.

Across town, Richard Castle sat on his living room couch, deep in a complicated, side-tracked thought. His laptop rested gently on his knees, untouched for at least a half an hour. Although known for his far-fetched and unrealistic theories, he was drawing a blank. This time, even he could admit that they were worthless. After doing a bit of his own research, distracting himself with writing another chapter of 'Nikki Heat' and of course coming up with his own wild theories, the only thing he could come up with was that somehow the choking was part of the hazing. But that sounded dangerous. He always thought this hazing was something... Frustrating? Yes. Dirty? Of course. Embarrassing? A requirement. But deadly? No. The ME report came back that the COD was asphyxiation, or, in layman's terms, she had been strangled to death. The weirdest part was the bruise patterns on her neck did not match up how they should. The bruises where the assailant's thumbs pressed into her neck were on the front of her neck, and upside down. Almost as if...

Beckett gathered her hair into a loose bun and slid into the tub luxuriously. Sometimes, all it took to clear her head after a day of no answers was an extravagant soak in her claw-foot tub, but today, it was noisy upstairs. Sometimes, she really hated how work followed her home. She tried to tell herself that she wasn't a workaholic, but she was lying to herself, and she knew it. Sometimes, it wasn't even work to her; it was more of a puzzle that had to be figured out. It riddled and twisted her brain, keeping it in shape. She inhaled the exotic perfume of the bath salts, and telepathically told them to start working their magic so that she could finally relax. Holding her breath for a second or two, she enjoyed as much silence as the city below could fathom to give her. It was in that second of silence that it hit her. Cursing herself for not being able to enjoy a moment of peace because of her clearly unsettled mind this evening, she all but leaped out of the tub and hastily dried off. Gathering her robe around herself, she pressed speed dial number three on her phone.

Beckett's ringtone snapped Castle out of his subconsious daze. In a sloppy dive off the couch, he lunged for his cell.

"Castle," he spoke into the phone, trying not to sound too eager.

Beckett's voice came over the speaker. "What if our killer didn't use their hands to strangle Anya?"

"That would certainly make sense, given the pattern. I was thinking the same thing. What if..."

"The killer used _her_ hands," They said in unison. They both paused a moment, realizing what just happened, and at the same time, how ridiculous it sounded.

"The killer had to have brought Anya's own hands up to her neck, thus removing the possibility of tracking them by the bruises left by their own hands," Beckett rushed, all in one breath.

"I am on the same page as you, but how did he get her to do that? That is kind of a precise motion," Castle said, his tone staggered by thought.

"The toxicology reports aren't back yet, so it is possible that she was drugged. She passes out, the killers opportunity comes." Beckett replied, her excitement building. "But," her voice dropped, "we still don't have any idea who might have done this."

"Don't worry, we will get there. We have this step. There is not much more we can do tonight, but in the morning we'll go straight to Lanie for the reports and also see if there are any previously unseen marks on her hands," Castle said reassuringly. He knew that she didn't need the reassurance, but he figured it couldn't hurt. "Until tomorrow, then?"

Beckett smiled at his way of saying goodnight. "Alright, that sounds good. Night," she replied, letting a bit of her smile reveal itself in her tone.

* * *

Please, please review. I'm itching to know what you think! :)


	2. Back & Forth

_**A/N: Thank you for the comments, 'favorites' and alert follows! You all are so nice! Here is the second chapter... hope you enjoy! **_

_**Also, it really bothers me that it takes my 'tabs' away from the beginning of paragraphs... is there a way to fix this? Thanks!**_

_**

* * *

**_

The next morning found Castle sitting in Beckett's chair, his leg bouncing both unconsciously and impatiently. He wanted those lab results, and he wanted to talk to Lanie about their new development. But as much as he tried to wish it into existence, there was a simple truth that he sometimes forgot: he wasn't actually a cop. Without Beckett, he could receive no answers.

The second he heard the distinctive click of her heels on the prescient floor, he bounded out of her chair and into his... or at least the chair he claimed as his. Beckett rounded the corner, gracefully keeping time with her footsteps. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, as it always did, his eyes appreciatively giving her a once-over. It was rapid enough that no one would notice, but not too hasty for his mind not to register what he saw. Her hair glinted slightly in the sun that was pouring its rays through the window as she looked to her left, nodding a greeting to Captain Montgomery who was already in his office. Catching the absolute last millisecond of his appraisal, she arrived at her desk, shooting him a look.

"Really, Castle?" she questioned, putting a hand on her hip. She sat down, slightly bemused that every day he arrived before her, it was the same scenario. He never seemed to grow tired of watching her arrive. Every morning, he looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. A fact not lost on her. Smiling a secretly pleased smile to herself, she started up her computer and turned to look at him, eyebrows raised.

"What could I possibly have done already?" he quipped, innocently. Rolling her eyes at him as only she could, she dismissed him, moving on.

"I talked to Lanie this morning, she is taking another look at the body, and will call us down when she is done," she said after taking the tiniest of sips from her steaming coffee cup. "Thanks for the coffee, by the way."

It had been an unplanned but also required ritual that the two of them had fallen into. In some form or another, Castle always magically acquired coffee for her. Sometimes, it was as if he conjured it out of thin air. Under the normal circumstances of their behavior at work, she could have probably made a long standing joke about Castle being her little unpaid intern, getting her coffee like a fresh-out-of-school twenty-something, but it never happened that way. Instead of seeing it as a hassle, he enjoyed doing something nice for her on a daily basis. It reminded her that under the impish boy that he portrayed, he was actually a very sweet guy. It was something that she genuinely appreciated, and because of those reasons, left it out of their playful banter.

"What? We figured that out together, and you already told her?" he whined, pouting at his stolen thunder.

"Don't worry, Castle, you were mentioned," Beckett replied, keeping her tone perfectly even and looking away from him.

It wasn't a lie. She _had_ mentioned him, and when she did, the medical examiner predictably pounced on the topic. Beckett was patient with her best friend. After all, Lanie just wanted her to be happy. The problem was, her solution to the Kate Beckett Happiness Equation was Castle. Yes, the thought of them together had crossed her mind... once... or twice... _Alright, it crosses my mind nearly every day_, she had thought to herself as her friend gushed about how good they would be together, how much fun they would have. What her friend said was never something she doubted. Her trepidation came from fear; her absolute fear of losing him all together. Not to mention her fear of getting hurt, or even, hurting him. None of these scenarios were things she wanted to think about because he was too important. She gulped at the thought. She didn't like to admit that to herself. Even so, that's why she had to keep him at an emotional arm's distance. Too much was at stake.

"...plus, I was thinking that if she was sent out alone..." the fact that Castle's voice was trailing off snuck into her private thoughts. "Beckett," he snapped his fingers at her playfully. "Hello? You with me?" he laughed at the fact that he had caught her day dreaming.

Beckett gave a slight twitch and came back to reality. She realized that he had been talking the whole time that she had been thinking about her conversation with Lanie a few minutes earlier.

"You really do talk too much, Castle," giving him no glory for catching her in a distracted state. "Anyway, we really can't do anything until Lanie calls us back to the morgue."

"Since when does that stop us from speculating?" Pausing, he corrected himself, "Since when does that stop _me_ from speculating. I was just trying to bounce an idea off of you, like usual... but if you say so," he said, knowing that her mind was set and drifting off elsewhere. For once, he decided not to press it. Leaning back in his chair, he started looking around the room intently, twiddling his thumbs.

Beckett caught a glance of his activity. _Who *really* twiddles their thumbs? _she thought, amused. Turning back to her computer and focusing on it, she said, "I'm just going to do paperwork and you know how much it bugs me when you sit there and watch me. So go find something to do. I'm sure it won't be long before Lanie calls me."

"But I don't know what else t-" Castle started.

"No," she interrupted, "Anywhere but here."

Dejected, he did what he was told. As much as he enjoyed getting a reaction out of her, he figured he could maybe catch up with Detective Ryan, who he just saw enter the break room.

As she watched him get up and walk away, she added, "But don't go too far."

When he turned at the sound of her voice, she indulged him with a half-smile that was pulling on one side of her lips. She held his gaze until he broke the momentary spell that she had cast upon him. Shaking his head slightly, he turned back towards the break room with a hint of gleeful shock written on his face.

* * *

_**Review, please! I love hearing from you! **_


	3. Strange Strangling

**_Sorry for the long break... I got attached to "Tossing" my other fic... ideas for it just kept pouring in! I also had to decide where to go with this one. Somewhat short, not much plot advancement, but some character development. _**

**_Enjoy!_**

* * *

When Lanie called Beckett, she got up from her desk to go gather Castle from the break room. Walking towards the sound of laughter coming from both him and Detective Ryan, she peeked her head around the doorframe.

"Time to go," was all she said as she turned on her heel after giving them both a suspicious glance. It always seemed as though Castle was plotting something with either Ryan or Esposito, and not that she would ever admit it, she was just the teensiest bit jealous that he had inside jokes with the other two detectives on her team. Most of them were so odd that she couldn't even begin to guess how they got started. In particular, the 'Feed the Birds' bit; a display of swollen egos between Castle and Esposito.

Giving a nod to Ryan, Castle complied, almost giddy to be needed by her once again. Ryan watched them leave together, smiling. _When are those two going to figure it out?_ he thought. This was a very familiar thought that he, Esposito and Lanie, not to mention everyone else at the precinct pondered on a daily basis. But the fear of getting in the way of a furious Detective Beckett was motive enough to keep their mouths shut, for the most part, and kept their thoughts from both her and the writer.

They arrived at the morgue just a few minutes later, after making light banter in the elevator. There was a certain ease between them, which formed more quickly than they both had realized. It was as if they had been friends for decades, not just a few short years. Laughing softly at a clever remark from Castle, Beckett entered the morgue through the swinging doors with her Shadow.

Lanie eyed them as they breezed in. They seemed so natrual together, even walking unconciously in step. Knowing it was lost cause at the moment, and they had more important things to do, the medical examiner cleared her throat softly, and began to speak.

"It seems as though you two are right. Initially, it looked as though the contusions on her neck were caused from the attacker coming from behind... but taking a closer look," she said, motioning to the vic's neck, and then her hands, "the brusies are consistant with the shape of her hands, and there is even a tiny mark from the thin ring she wore on her right ring finger."

Castle and Beckett nodded simotaneously, as if their heads were attached by an invisible wire.

"Another thing I missed initially," she continued, "is the fact that her thumb is broken."

"But we knew that," Beckett replied, confused.

"We knew that it was broken, but my assumption was that she broke it during a struggle to get the attacker's hands off of her neck. During my second evaluation, I recognized that the angle of bone fracture is consistant your theory. She was trying to pry her _own_ hands off of her neck. I didn't think to check until you said something," the ME finished, nodding at Beckett.

"Y'know, I thought of it too," whined Castle. "We came up with that during our late night phone call yesterday."

Lanie raised her eyebrows at the pair, snapping out of ME mode, and resuming her usual good-natured teasing.

"Yes, but what have we learned? I only do things when _she_ asks me to do them." She said, nearly quoting herself from a few weeks ago when Beckett came to her about the Triple Killer. "Anyway," she continued, "What y'all do on your own time is none of my business, Castle," she said in false disinterest. Lowering her voice and leaning to Beckett, she continued, "But I would like it to be."

Beckett rolled her eyes playfully and swatted her friend away. "Thanks, Lanie. Let us know if there is anything else you find."

Castle, not hearing what Lanie had said, trailed after a departing Beckett. His voice trailed with him. "Wait. What? What did she say? Beckeeetttt...!"

While gathering up her tools and putting them away, all Lanie could do was chuckle to herself. Shaking her head she practically shouted, to no one other than the stiff, "They are just so damn CUTE!"

* * *

_**Reviews always appreciated. Please let me know what you think- anything from plot to believability to typos. THANKS! :)**_

_** More soon, I hope! :)**_


	4. Digging Dirt

**_Hey you guys! I hope people are still reading! I'm sorry I took such a long time... my life has been kind of crazy... my mom is pretty sick :\... Today, I had enough time to use writing as a brief escape. I hope you enjoy, and I'll really try to not keep you waiting for so long! And just so you know, I plan for this fic to have at least 10 chapters, maybe more. _**

**_There is some back story in narrative form here, telling instead of showing, but I didn't want to drag everything out. You didn't need to read the entirety of interviews that meant very little. :)_**

**_Happy Reading! :)_**

* * *

Hours later, they were finally in a better place with suspects, a nice change from the day before. Their initial canvassing had turned up very little, especially because of the reluctance of the sisters to disclose too much information. The only substantial fact that came up was that Anya was engaged to Tucker Grinks, the refined and elegant son of a Connecticut power family that had deep rooted wealth. His relatives were of the blood where practically every baby born to the family immediately got its own trust fund. She had been surprised to learn that they were engaged and not just dating, because of an odd sock; the fact that Lanie had found no engagement ring on her left hand. There wasn't even a bruise pattern to show that it had been on her slender ring finger when she had been strangled. The skin on her hand was without doubt lightened, which was an obvious tell that she had spent a good period of time wearing it proudly. The ring, however, was nowhere to be found, even after an excessively comprehensive comb of the woods. She had made a mental note to check into it more meticulously later.

The team's assumptions had led them to question both Tucker, and his parents about their impression of Anya. Beckett knew that money, and especially the loss, or even the potential loss of it was a huge motive. To her dismay, all three had alibied out. His parents both being at home all evening without leaving was proven due to a security tape, and Tucker had been at a club with some of his buddies, which an unbiased bartender had accounted for. She was sure that it would have had something to do with them being suspicious of Anya wanting Tucker for his money, considering she did not come from that kind of upbringing. She had shaken her head, listening to her own advice play in her thoughts, _We follow the leads we have, not the leads we wish we had._

Instead, she and her team turned to other possibilities. She had realized, at that moment, in her car, while thinking about the alternate directions that she and her fellow detectives should take, that she grouped a certain author in with herself, Ryan and Esposito. She wondered how long she had been considering him her partner without even blinking an eye. There was no doubt that Castle had earned it, she had decided, because even the Cap had called him 'one of his own'. That of course, didn't mean that she had to indulge him in the knowledge that she thought so highly of him. Where was the fun in that?

Their second round of interviews on campus had dug up some considerable dirt. Anya's roommate, Brittany, had divulged that Anya was secretly seeing another guy, but she didn't know who. She had spoken with hesitation in her voice, while half chewing on the inside of her cheek, causing Detective Beckett to immediately flag her as a person of interest. In her years of interrogations and even polite questionings, she learned certain tells that people could display while answering her queries. Her keen eye could now tell the difference between genuinely being upset over the situation and holding back information, effectively leaving out the whole truth. Beckett wasn't sure what Brittany had to tell, but she knew it would be critical. She just didn't want to scare the girl into closing up. She also knew that she needed Brittany's whole story in order to close this case; anyone could come up with that. The thing that separated Beckett from other detectives was her tactic. She knew that this was not the last time she would see Brittany, and knew better than to show all of her cards at once. So without giving the girl anything to think twice about, Beckett and Castle had thanked her for her time, and left her thinking she was off the hook.

The Sorority's President, Kim, acted as a spokeswoman for the whole individual chapter of the sisterhood, and had insisted that choking of the pledges was only a rumor that the already initiated sisters spread to scare the new girls. Kim had nearly burst into tears, sobbing to Castle and Beckett that Anya was supposed to make it through. She was what was called a 'legacy,' because her aunt was an OmaPi (as the sorority was nicknamed). Being a legacy meant getting an automatic bid, even though that was not supposed to be common knowledge to the potential new members.

Even so, Beckett had asked for an alibi for each member of OmaPi, and because most of them were in their chapter room setting up, or out in the woods only at the beginning of the challenge, arriving back to the chapter room before the time of death, they all alibied out. One story was a little shaky, Beckett had noticed, which was that one of the sisters, Becky, was out sick. This was quickly confirmed, however, by not only Kim's word that she had checked on her to verify the legitimacy of her claim, but also the dorm's security cameras.

There was another thing that kept tapping at the back of her mind. One girl, Kailey, was mentioned, almost as an after thought by one of the girls. When asked if any of the sisters were acting weird the night that Anya died, she said that she remembered Kailey mentioning something about taking the rumors seriously. Some girls didn't even remember seeing her for a few hours, and had just assumed that she was near by. She added Kailey's whereabouts to her mental 'Things to Check Out' list, and had pressed on.

After canvassing the college more thoroughly, the best homicide team in the 12th Precinct had some strong leads. With their newfound information, the four puzzled over their next move. After throwing around a few ideas, Beckett took the wheel, as per usual.

"Okay, we have a lot of ideas to work," she said, taking command with only a slight change in her tone; something that came easily to her, and something that the entire team was used to adhering to. They all adjusted themselves accordingly to give her their full attention.

"Ryan, Esposito, you guys start pouring over her phone records. See if you can find a number that pops and will reveal the identity of this mystery boyfriend. Castle and I will go talk to her parents again, see if they have any idea who this guy is, and to see if she mentioned having any problems with any of the girls, specifically Kailey."

The two detectives nodded their acceptance of the assigned task, and walked away from the murder board. As they left, Castle and Beckett heard the last few phrases of what Ryan was saying to Esposito,

"... phone records. We always get so lucky, don't we, bro?"

Esposito said something unintelligible to their ears because of the distance between the two pairs, and the sound of their sarcastic laughter faded down the hall.

Unconsiously, Castle and Beckett smiled after them in unison. They always shared a comraderie like they were brothers; part of the reason they were such a good team. Beckett was glad to have them on her side.

Turning to face Castle with a hint of mischief straining to expose itself in her honey-brown eyes, she said, "Road trip?"

* * *

_**Reviews are not required, but always appreciated. :)**_

_**Also, to any of you who might be Greek, (as in, in a Sorority or Fraternity), I know that this can seem harsh, and a little stereotypical. Not to worry, I am in a Sorority myself, so I know what things are really like... and I am stereotyping a little on purpose. This is meant to be fiction, and I know that things like this don't normally happen. And to those of you who aren't Greek, please do not assume that this is what the reality of Greek Life is like. **_

_**Thanks! :)**_


End file.
